Mid-Lothian Mines Park
Mid-Lothian Mines Park, 13301 North Woolridge Road. The park has walking trails around a pond and through the wooded areas in and around the Grove Shaft Ruins, the railbeds and coal mines of the old Mid-Lothian Mines. The trails are mostly paved with some covered with gravel.
Info: 748-1623
chesterfield.gov, midlomines.org
HISTORY
The first commercially mined coal in America came from Midlothian, where it was discovered near the French Huguenot settlement on the James River about 1701. Although used locally for many years, it was first commercially mined in the 1730s. During the 18th century, “Mid-Lothian” coal was used to support the Revolutionary War in making American cannons at Westham. Commercial mining in Chesterfield County did not expand until the 1800s due to competition from foreign mines and the reliance on wood for home heating. Eventually, mine workers settled in the vicinity of Midlothian, responding to the opportunity for employment in the coal pits. Read more about the area’s history at chesterfieldtourism.com.
Originally published in "Discover Richmond"
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